


Cut from the Same Stubborn Cloth

by genericfanatic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Coran looking out for everybody, Established Relationship, Galra Keith, Implied Suicide Attempt, Multi, Suicide mention, keith/shiro friendship, lance/allura friendship, this got way darker than i meant but I swear has a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 23:05:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7457281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genericfanatic/pseuds/genericfanatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith is keeping a secret from Lance. Shiro knows everyone looks up to him, but doesn't feel that he deserves it. They both feel that they've been hurting their loved ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lance was a very touchy-feely kind of person.

Whether it was friendly hugs, congratulatory pats on the back, or, if you were his boyfriend, a lot of affectionate cuddles and kisses.

_“What do you MEAN it’s not working!” Lance shouted. He held Keith up as Keith choked on air._

_“The pod rejecting his anatomy!” Coran said, “I—I don’t know why, we’ll have to fix it!”_

Keith was not used to so much touching, and hadn’t quite been prepared for it when he started dating Lance. Sometimes he did need space for himself, and Lance would back down, but other times, it was comforting to have a silent confirmation that someone was there who cared.

_“L’kana!” Shiro said, “That planet we rescued a week or two ago. They had hospitals, right?”_

_“Lets go! I’ll take him down once we get there!” Lance said. Allura nodded and ran to form a portal, while Lance dragged him to the entrance to his lion._

Recently, Keith had been letting Lance hug him more, sometimes even in public. Hunk and Shiro gave them small approving smiles, while Pidge gagged. Lance was ecstatic, holding onto Keith like a human teddy bear when they walked around.

It was killing Keith, though.

_Keith gasped for breaths, laying on the floor of the cockpit of the blue lion. “Keith,” Lance said, reaching a hand down to him even while he piloted, “Keith, stay with me. We’re going to get you better, don’t worry.” Keith wanted to comment, but was focused on keeping the blood inside his gut._

Lance wasn’t an idiot, though, even if Keith said so. He had started to notice that Keith was quiet more. He’d lose focus during mission briefings. Much worse was that he was getting more and more reckless in the middle of fights.

_“Mr. Kogane,” a voice said, a voice he didn’t recognize, “Mr. Kogane, you can wake up now.” Keith blinked his eyes open. He was in a room he didn’t recognize, and a purple man with a tentacle beard was standing over him. “How are you feeling?”_

_Keith cleared his throat, “weak,”_

_The alien nodded, “That’s understandable. You gave us quite a scare. If you had been fully human like your friend, we would have lost you.”_

_Keith blinked up at him. “What?”_

Lance DEFINITELY knew something was wrong the second night in a row Keith shot up out of bed in a cold sweat. “Hey,” Lance said sleepily, “What’s up?”

Keith swallowed, the voices from his unconscious echoing in his mind. “N-nothing.” Keith lay back, controlling his breathing. “Just a dream.” Still, when Lance draped a comforting arm over him, Keith clutched it close to his chest, afraid it would slip through his fingers.

“That can’t be right,” Keith said looking at his own medical records.

_“We treated many Galran soldiers before Voltron rescued us,” The doctor said, calmly, “I recognize the gene sequence anywhere, even if it’s only half your DNA.” Keith shook his head, blinking, as though it would make it go away._

One word echoed in his mind every hour of the day. A word that had once filled him with just rage now included intense self-loathing. It was an accusation, a curse. It dripped from his friend’s mouths—from Lance’s mouth—with such hatred.

_Galra._

 

Shiro couldn’t be sure, but he was certain Allura was unique by Altean standards. She was a princess, and was wise and kind and everything a princess should be, while at the same time could be childish and even immature. She was also strong and brave and stern and Shiro wasn’t sure how all of that…that goodness could fit into one person. Even one who could alter her shape.

_“Citizens of the empire,” A loudspeaker said over the stadium, “I give to you, your champion!”_

_The stadium erupted in cheers. Shiro stood in the center of it, ragged and tired and bloody, but alive._

Shiro knew that the other paladins looked up to him as a hero. He had been the best pilot the Garrison had seen, before Keith and Lance joined. Each of them looked up to him, came to him for support.

If only he didn’t feel like he’d been lying to them.

_“Congratulations,” the raspy voice said, “Through your hard work, you have earned a prize from the empire.” Shiro yelled in pain. Sparks flew as flesh and metal melded together. “You are strong, Champion,” The voice said, “But you will be stronger.”_

It was the way Allura looked at him that pained him most. True, more often than not, he obeyed her commands and wishes, but still. He had earned her respect and admiration. He didn’t deserve it. He couldn’t even remember why, but he knew he didn’t.

And with every passing nightmare-induced dream, he was more sure.

_“Try it,” the voice said. Shiro gave a punch to the side and a cinder block crumbled into dust. He slashed with it, open palm, and a line was burned into the floor. “Excellent,” The voice said, “You will be unstoppable.”_

_Shiro had never felt stronger._

“Shiro,” Allura’s voice came over the com, “Shiro, we have to retreat.”

Pidge’s green lion was down, and Hunk had dragged it back to the castle ship for repairs. Pidge was all right, if shaken up. “Keith, Lance, retreat.” He commanded. He continued tearing into the Galra ship with his jawblade, even as laser fire battered at his lion.

There was a burst of fire above him. Turning he saw the red lion, pouncing from ship to ship. “Keith!” Lance’s voice came through. “Orders! KEITH!” Pulled out of his reverie, the red lion stopped, and turned back to follow Blue.

Shiro flexed in front of the crowd. He smiled at the cheers they bestowed upon him. He raised his new arm to show it off, and they cheered louder.

_“The Undefeated!” The overhead voice shouted, “Fighting in his 23rd tournament, will he once again be reigned champion?”_

“Shiro,” Allura called, “That means you too!”

“I can do this,” Shiro said, jumping to the next ship and tearing into it, “Stay back, I can do this.”

“SHIRO!” Allura cried, “YOU’RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!”

“More Galra ships incoming!” Coran said.

Shiro looked up. Indeed, more unscarred ships were approaching, guns focused on Shiro. He grit his teeth. He felt a familiar energy rise in him, to charge in and fight the odds themselves.

“SHIRO!” Allura cried, desperation in her voice.

_“Whom do you fight for, Champion?”_

_Shiro grinned up at the booming voice that surrounded him, “I fight for the almighty Galra Empire!”_

_The crowd went wild._

Allura didn’t look at him when he re-boarded. She focused on piloting the ship through the portal. He walked up behind her, past Keith and Lance in the middle of a quiet argument, past Hunk and Coran making sure Pidge was all right. She noted his presence, but continued through the portal.

“You’re mad at me?” Shiro said.

She gave him a side glance. “Wouldn’t you be? If you were in my position?”

Shiro shrugged. “I saw a chance to take them out. I have to be prepared to—“

“To get yourself killed?” Allura asked. “We can’t risk that. We need ALL of you to form voltron.”

Shiro sighed, “You can get a new black paladin. Hell, you’re our real leader, you could pilot her yourself.” She turned to him, a look of horror on her face. “I’m not—I’m not TRYING to die. But if it’s what it takes to save the empire, I will gladly give my life.”

“And what about me?”

“You?”

If Altean’s could, Allura would have snorted fire in anger, “You talk about your death like it would be a mild inconvenience for the rest of us. For me.” Tears came to her eyes. “We need you. YOU, not the black paladin.” She blinked and the tears were suppressed. “Just…take more care. Please.”

He was overcome with guilt to see her tear up. To satisfy her, he nodded. Unfortunately, he couldn’t agree with her assertion. No matter what they had thought, they didn’t need him. He was a hindrance. He was

_The Champion._


	2. Chapter 2

Lance was trying to get eye contact from his boyfriend. “What is the MATTER with you?” He asked.

Keith wasn’t having it. “At the moment, it’s my taste in boyfriends.”

Lance sighed, “You know what I mean. You ran in even after we were ordered to retreat. What happened?”

“I didn’t hear Shiro.” He said. Lance stared at him in disbelief, “What? It’s true. There was a battle going on.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. It was true, he hadn’t heard Shiro’s order, but more because he was so focused on the battle and getting into the direct center of it than any regular mistakes.

Lance looked…disappointed. It was a look Keith was used to over the course of his life. If he knew, Keith thought, that disappointment would be disgust. “You know,” Lance said, “You could tell me anything.”

Keith was lying to Lance. He knew it. And he couldn’t hold onto Lance forever. He should let Lance go, but at the same point, he couldn’t bare to lose him. Coping out, he said, “There’s nothing to tell.”

“Paladins, gather round,” Shiro said. Keith hurried over the center, Lance on his heels. 

Pidge was still a little out of breath and obviously tired. Coran was mostly supporting her. Hunk and Allura stood with their arms crossed. “So,” Shiro started off, “we need to reassess this base if we want to be able to take it the next time. It’s clearly heavier armed than we thought.”

“I don’t understand why,” Pidge said, “It’s supposed to be a small outpost, not heavily guarded. What could they have there?”

Shiro crossed his arms, “Whatever it is, we’re sure as hell not going to get in by brute force.”

Pidge straightens up, “We could try a stealth mission. If I update all our lions with the same cloaking technology as mine—“

“No,” Allura interjected. They all turned to her. “I think we should switch targets. Find some other target with less fire power.”

“But—“ Pidge started, but Hunk cut her off.

“Pidge, you nearly DIED today. And for what?” Hunk patted her shoulder. “We’ll gain allies and come back. It’ll be fine.”

“Is anyone else wondering,” Keith said, “Why a simple base of seemingly no value is so heavily guarded?”

Shiro put a hand on his chin, thoughtful, “You think they’re hiding something there?”

Keith nodded. “Whatever it is, they clearly don’t want anyone knowing about it. And they have control of every planet that they’ve reached. The only ones to keep a secret from is us, and people who would talk to us. Whatever’s in there is a threat.”

Shiro bit his lip. Allura shook her head. “If it is, we’ll deal with it when we’re better armed.”

“By that point it might be too late!” Pidge coughed, trying to speak up. 

Coran helped her stand, “Pidge, you will have plenty of time to prove yourself capable. Today wasn’t your fault.”

Pidge and Keith looked to Shiro, not accepting defeat until he said something. Shiro turned to Lance, who was having a staring contest with the floor. “You’re being oddly quiet.” Lance jerked his head up. “What do you think?” 

Lance swallowed, suddenly thrown back into his training at the garrison, being asked a question by the senior officer. “I think,” He said, starting strong, but then faltering when he had to give the thought, “I think,” His eyes met Keith’s for just a moment and he immediately turned his eyes back to the ground, “I don’t know what I think.”

Shiro nodded. “So, two for, three against, and one abstain.” He sighs, “I’m going to have to side with Allura on this one.” Pidge immediately opened her mouth to protest, but Shiro cut her off with his hand, “We’ll return here the SECOND we have the allies and take it down.”

Angry, Pidge stalked off to her room. Keith gave Shiro one look before he and Lance turned around and went back to their rooms. 

“Coward,” Keith muttered once everyone else was out of earshot. 

“What?”

“You heard me.” Keith said, staring up at Lance, “You know we need to take this base. But you didn’t want to commit, so you—“

“I know,” Lance grabbed Keith’s arm and turned him to face him, “That you ran in there like some kind of…berserker. And I know that you would have kept going until you got yourself killed.”

“Hot-headed,” Keith said, “Impulsive. That’s the traits of a Red Paladin. That’s who I am. I thought you knew that.”

Lance pursed his lips. “There’s a difference between impulsive and suicidal.”

The word ‘suicidal’ cut through Keith. He had never put it as a descriptor for himself, but lately, it felt oddly accurate. He looked into Lance’s eyes, “This is who I am. If you don’t like it, then maybe you made a mistake when you decided to date me.” 

Lance looked for him in disbelief and horror. He looked eerily similar to the vision Keith had of him in his dream, except in his dram he’d looked more disgusted. “I could never love a Galra.” 

Lance shook his head. “I can’t—I can’t deal with this tonight. I just. I can’t.” He turned around and walked back to the observation room. 

“It’s late,” Keith called to him, “You need to sleep.”

“Go without me,” He said back, and stalked away. Keith felt his heart break as he walked away, and his eyes filled with tears. He knew it was going to happen eventually. A person—a thing—like him couldn’t hold onto someone like Lance forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Lance tried to walk off his anger. He had wavered between loving and hating Keith since the day he met him, but he had never felt both emotions so strongly toward him at the same time. And yet no matter how much he loved or hated him, Keith didn’t seem to change. Maybe he never would.

He wandered the various halls, memories upon memories of their past year as team Voltron washing over him. He might have been walking an hour before he found himself back at the observation station. There was only one person left there, Princess Allura.

Allura sat on the floor, and was hugging her knees, and looked as though she might be crying. “Princess?” Lance called.

Allura looked up. “Lance,” She said, “What are you doing awake?”

Lance sighed and shrugged, “Just trying to think through some things. You?” 

She shrugged as well. “The same.”

He came up to her. “Mind if I think next to you?” She nodded at the seat beside her, and he sat. “So,” He said, stretching out, “Am I in your thoughts?” He gave her a sexy wink. Or, what he thought was a sexy wink, anyway. 

She rolled her eyes. “Lance,” She said, “I don’t think Keith would be pleased to hear that.”

With that, all trace of humor fell off Lance’s face with a smile. He laid back onto the ground, his hands pillowing his head. “Fuck Keith.”

Allura sighed, “You don’t mean that,” She said in a low voice. 

Lance echoes her sigh. “He and I have always argued. Ever since the Garrison, even if he doesn’t remember. But now it’s different. It’s…serious.”

Allura nodded. “I see.” She said, “Keith is a very…passionate person.”

Lance smirked, “Stubborn, you mean. Pig-headed and arrogant.”

Allura thought for a moment, “Are all human men like that?”

Lance frowned up at her, “Cold, princess. I’m sitting right here.” 

“I didn’t mean—“ Allura said, she put up her hands, “I—I’m sorry.”

Lance smirked again. “Calm down, Princess.” Allura put her arms back into her lap. “I do know that I’m stubborn. Of course, I prefer to think of it as perserverant.” He sat up. “But I think Keith and Shiro are cut from a special kind of stubborn cloth.”

Allura blinked at him and blushed. “I—I suppose my feelings really are obvious if you know.”

Lance looked fake offended. “I’ll have you know, I can be very observant.” Allura raised an eyebrow, “Also Hunk pointed it out.” 

She smiled. “Shiro is…brave and kind and smart and competent and—“

“And hot. Don’t forget hot.” Allura glared at him. “What, I’m bi, I can say that.”

“The point is,” Allura said, “I have come to care for him. But he doesn’t…it doesn’t seem like he has the same care for himself.”

“Low self-esteem’s a bitch.” Lance said, nodding. “It’s like, I wish I could make him see himself the way I see him.”

“I wish he would just…listen to me.” Allura said. 

“I wish he would…I wish he’d just trust me.” Lance said. He felt the tears rise in his eyes. 

Allura reached over and pulled him into a hug. A year ago, Lance would have given anything for this. Now, as the tears spilled out, the only thing he wished for was that she would turn into Keith. 

Keith, as it happens, was watching his boyfriend, off to the side, just behind a wall. He looked off to his side where Shiro stood, also listening in. “It hurts, doesn’t it?” Keith said. Shiro tore his gaze from Allura to look at him, “Knowing you did that, to someone you care about.”

Shiro closed his eyes, swallowing the pain. He pushed off the wall and started walking down the hall. Keith followed on his heels. “What are you doing here, Keith?”

Keith put his hands in his pockets, “You may have fooled everyone else, but I know you better than that. You know I’m right about this base, but you don’t want to risk the team so you’re going in yourself.”

Shiro stopped in his tracks. “And what do you plan on doing about that?”

Keith looked up to him, as he always had. “One of two things. Either I scream and get Allura and she stops you. Or you take me with you.”

Shiro bit his inner lip. “I can’t let you do that. I might not be coming back.”

“I know.” Keith said. “But you don’t have much a choice, do you?” 

Shiro looked back to the observation. “And if I yelled? And Lance found out what you’re asking?”

“Then we’d have two very hurt people who we love and one base unexploded.” Keith said. He turned back to the observatory himself. “Look, Shiro,” He swallowed, “if you knew, you wouldn’t be so concerned with my life.”

Shiro wanted to protest, but he knew that if they knew everything about him, they would feel that way about him. He nodded his head and the two of them walked to their lions.


	4. Chapter 4

“How long do you think before they realize we’re gone?” Keith asked over his comm. They made it out of the range of the other lions and the castle, so they could only hear each other.

“Mid-morning, probably.” Shiro said. “Maybe later if they think we’re both just depressed and hiding away somewhere. 

Keith swallowed, thinking about how Lance would eventually go back to his room and realize Keith wasn’t there. Keith had been sleeping in Lance’s room for the last month. He still kept a lot of his personal items in his own room, but he slept better with Lance, and Lance said he slept better with Keith. He wondered if Lance would go looking for him in the morning. 

Then again, it was possible Lance wouldn’t return to his own room himself. He remembered how he and Allura had been hugging, trying to comfort one another. Lance had always liked Allura. It wasn’t something that had made Keith jealous…until today. “Did you see the way he smiled?” Keith said over the comm. “I don’t remember the last time I made Lance smile.”

Shiro fiddled with his controls, trying to focus on piloting, but he couldn’t deny his thoughts went down a similar road to Keith’s. “Allura too.” 

“They’ll be good for each other.” Keith said, “You know, after.”

Shiro tried to imagine Lance and Allura together. It was like putting puzzle pieces together when they just didn’t fit. “I don’t know. They seem so…different.”

“You’d be surprised,” Keith said, a smile in his voice, “Lance can be surprisingly deep and thoughtful.”

Shiro thought of Allura and her childlike wonder of the universe. “Allura can be rather silly herself.”

“See?” Keith said, “a perfect match.” 

Shiro was still unsure, but he supposed he didn’t have any right to judge who Allura spent time with anymore. He swallowed and looked at his controls, ignoring the tear in his eye. “We’re approaching the base.”

“Any strategy ideas here?” Keith said. 

“The priority is finding and destroying whatever’s being hidden in there.” Shiro said, preparing all his weapons. “If we can’t destroy it, we need to broadcast the findings, and hopefully the others will be able to do something about it.”

“Noted.”

“You’re faster,” Shiro said, “So you need to go directly to the center, don’t worry about fighting unless you have no other choice. I’ll cover you.”

“Got it.” Keith said, flexing his claws. The first Galra ship came into view. “Lets get this show on the road.” 

Shiro presented no mercy as he tore into ship after ship. Keith could see, it wasn’t the fight of the commander of the Paladins, organized and precise. The black lion lashed out like a cornered animal, tearing into the weapon systems and shields of anyone who dared get too close.

Keith himself was laser-focused in on getting to the base. He dodged most of the laser fire, and that which he couldn’t dodge he powered through. Most of the ships seemed to think Shiro was the bigger threat and so focused on him, allowing him to get through easier. 

When he got close enough, he threw a fireball at the hull and breached a hole. He dove into it, and bounded through the halls. Galran soldiers fired at him, but they were easier to deflect and counter. Some of the smarter ones ran away. The robots he took out without a second thought. 

His first thought that something was weird was that the hallways seemed to be big enough for his lion to make it through. He had thought there would be a point where he’d have to get out. 

Finally, he came across a giant door. He fired everything he had at it, but only made insignificant dents. It didn’t help he had to also fight off the onslaught of sentries coming out a side door. 

Keith bit his lip. Red would never fit through that sentry door, but he could. Without a second thought, he dropped out of the lion, allowing it’s shields to raise up around her. He took out his bayard and slashed through the sentries, one after another. 

There were too many. He didn’t remember how or when, but he felt his leg bleeding, and the armor on his back was crumpled. 

Alternating between using his bayard as a sword and shield, he fought his way through and made it to the sentry door. He quickly closed the door behind him and slashed the control pad, trapping the sentries on the other side. 

He looked around. This looked different than a normal Galran base, and he had been on his fair share of those. Bayard out, he slid down the halls, ignoring his leg and his back. 

He made it to the chamber on the other side of the giant metal doors. It was empty, as far as he could see, of people. There were a number of contraptions he didn’t understand, all in a jumble. He started towards the door, ready to open it from the inside so he could let Red in, when something caught his eye. 

He approached the machinery, bayard still drawn in case something happened. “It looks like some kind of factory,” He said into his comm. 

Shiro was breathing heavily on the other end. “Building what?” He asked, “Weapons?”

He got closer to see what was at the center of all the moving pieces. With one look, everything clicked together, the secrecy, the heavy guard, the giant hallways… “Shiro,” he said, disbelieving his own eyes, “Shiro, it’s a LION.”

“What?” Shiro demanded.

“A Lion! A big grey lion! They’re trying to make their own version of Voltron!” As he said the words, he heard another door open on the other side of the factory. He raised his shield, blocking their fire. 

“We have to destroy it!” Shiro called to him, “At all costs!” 

“No shit,” Keith said to himself. His shield couldn’t cover all of him at one time, and he felt the armor on his shoulder get blown off. He backed up to the giant door. If he could get to Red he would have a better chance. 

There was a handprint scanner. Well, if there were any advantages to being Galra, this was it. He slammed his hand on the scanner, and the giant doors began to slowly open. 

Too slowly. He had forgotten about the sentries he had trapped on the other side of the door, who came out to join their friends in their attempts to take Keith down. Keith gave up on using his shield, deciding instead to slash into any sentry that got too close. The problem, of course, being the sentries didn’t have to be as close to hit him as he had to be to hit them.

Even though he spent days at a time in the training center, he had never faced so many enemies at once. He ran as best as he could to the Red lion. Too late, his bad leg was shot once again and he fell to the ground. 

In desperation, he put his shield up around him, curled up on the ground trying to save himself. Above him, Red gave a roar and started to fight off the sentries, but there were too many, so many sentries all around them. 

His vision began to dim as blood trickled out of him. He looked out, down the long hallway and outside the base. The black lion was badly damaged and completely surrounded. “Sh—Shiro?” He muttered into his comm. No response. Shiro might already be dead.

His eyes filled with tears. He didn’t want Shiro to be dead, Shiro, who had done so much for him. He didn’t want to die either. He knew that this was it. He knew that this was more than a possibility going in, but in fact the outcome he had expected. And now it was here and he wanted…

He wanted more than anything to see Lance just one more time. 

The sentries surrounded him. He wasn’t sure he could fight back if he tried, so simply lay crumpled under his shield. The laser fire stopped.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was ice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little separate from the rest of the works, as it's a flashback to when Shiro and Keith met. It's something they're both thinking about while they're blacked out.

_Shiro wasn’t one for illegal hovercraft racing. He had moved to the Garrison from Japan on a scholarship, and did his best to act the good boy so he could stay. But now, days before graduation with top marks in every class, he thought a day out with his friends was well-deserved._

_It hadn’t been his idea. In fact looking at the haphazardly built hovercrafts made him cringe. The problem with being a pilot is that he could tell how faulty each one was._

_Take the small red one on the end, for example. It could probably go damn fast down a road if it was all alone, but one hit from any of his fellow racers, one rock that got flung up and hit juuust the wrong place, and it would go down, crashing and falling, and taking it’s driver with it._

_The racers all lined up. Shiro looked at all the drivers. Most of them were exactly the kind of people Shiro expected to be racing hovercrafts illegally. Except…Except for the one on the end. “Holy shit,” he said to his friend, “He’s a kid!”_

_The kid dawned a red jump suit that matched his hovercraft put his helmet over his long head. It was far too big for him, and made him look more like a bobblehead than a person. “Oh yeah,” His friend said, “That’s Kogane. Don’t underestimate him, he’s small but he’s wicked quick.”_

_The crafts revved up and with a wave of the flag, they were off._

_Shiro’s friend was right, Kogane was fast. And he didn’t need to worry as much about a crash. The craft turned on a dime, delicately avoiding the other crafts as it barreled down the track. Still, every time one of the bigger crafts got too close, Shiro felt his heart rise in his throat._

_The other crafts crashed around him. By the end of the second lap, more than a few were out of commission on the side of the road. The drivers seemed to be okay, if dirty and upset._

_There was only one craft that came close to being competition for Kogane. It had taken a while for it to accelerate to his level, but it was way sturdier, and was plowing fast for the finish line, neck and neck with Kogane’s smaller vehicle, until it was ever so pulling ahead. If Kogane didn’t do anything, he’d lose._

_Kogane did something. Kogane’s craft jumped hire into the air, and started hovering OVER his opponent’s craft. The stress was pushing his opponent into the ground. Desperately, the opponent grabbed a pipe and started knocking against the bottom of Kogane’s craft. Shiro flinched with ever hit, until finally the opponents car’s front end was buried into the ground and it came to a sudden halt._

_Kogane was screeching towards the finish line, but his craft had sustained too much damage. Pieces started flying off until just the seat and the engine, with Kogane attached, bounced over the finish line, and Kogane tumbled and rolled out of it._

_The crowd was stunned, staring at Kogane’s still body on the track. A couple of people approached, but no one seemed to know what to do. Shiro looked left and right, but no one moved forward to help. Cursing in Japanese, he leapt from his seat and barreled down to the track. “Hey wait,” His friend called after him, but he was already laser focused into getting to Kogane._

_One man had gingerly leaned down to check his pulse. Shiro, being the rather large man he was, threw him off and turned Kogane over, ripping off the helmet too large for the boy’s head._

_Kogane had his eyes closed. Shiro mentally gave thanks to his emergency medical training as he applied CPR._

_With a gasp, Kogane’s eyes flew open and he was able to breath again. “We have our winner!” The announcer called, and the crowd cheered._

_Shiro helped Kogane sit up, but he flinched in pain. Looking down, Shiro saw his leg bent at a strange angle. “He needs to go to the hospital,” Shiro said. Kogane looked at him like he’d just declared his death sentence. Everyone around him looked away, suddenly not wanting to be involved. “Oh for the love of—“ Shiro leaned down and scooped Kogane off the ground. “TOM!” He called to his friend in the stand, “GET THE CAR,”_

_“Hey wait!” Kogane screamed, trying to struggle out of Shiro’s arms, “My hovercraft—“_   
_“Is demolished, kid.” Shiro said, easily stopping his struggles, “Nothing left to salvage.”_

_Kogane leaned half out of his arms to yell at the coordinator, “Beck! Beck my winnings! Now!” Reluctantly, Beck ran up and handed Keith a wad of cash. Keith smirked and tucked it into his jacket, and finally allowing Shiro to drag him out to the car._

_Shiro laid him out in the back and sat awkwardly by his legs as Tom started the car and took off for the nearest hospital. “You got a name other than Kogane?” Shiro asked._

_“Keith,”_

_“Well, Keith, you got any parents?” Keith shook his head. Shiro wasn’t totally shocked, given where he’d found Keith, “A guardian? Someone I can call?”_

_“Foster parents are on vacation.” He said, “Won’t be back for a month.”_

_Shiro’s eyebrows disappeared into his hair, “They left you alone for a MONTH?”_

_Keith blinked, not seeing the problem. “They left food…”_

_Shiro pinched his brow. This is not how he was expecting this night to turn out. “How old are you?” Shiro asked in disbelief._

_“12.” Keith said, as if that was a satisfactory age to be left to one’s own devices._

_Shiro shook his head. Now was not the time to be worrying about this. “All right, all right, lets just…I’m going to set your leg.” Keith looked horrified. Shiro took off his jacket and handed it to him. “Bite down on this, it’s gonna hurt.”_

_Keith did as was asked, and held onto the car seat for dear life. Tom nearly drove off the road at the scream through the jacket._

_At the hospital, they gave Keith a splint, and Shiro made sure to sign him up for an appointment to get it cast. Keith tried to argue he didn’t have the money for that, when Shiro plucked the wad of cash out of Keith’s jacket and handed it to the doctor._

_“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Keith asked, “I don’t even know you, why are you doing this?”_

_Shiro sighed. “My name is Takashi Shirogane. I’m a student at the Garrison.” Keith’s eyes went wide. He had apparently heard of the Garrison, not surprising since they were in the town closest to it. It was possible he had even heard of Shiro. He broke a lot of records. “So, here’s the thing kid. I can’t take you back to your house and just leave you, and I can’t exactly take you to my dorm. Luckily we have a couple of options.” Shiro sat up, “I can call child services. They could take you away from your foster parents, but it doesn’t seem like you’re all that attached to them.”_

_“Child services GAVE me to them,” Keith said, “And if you call them, they’ll just put me somewhere just as bad.”_

_“Or better,” Shiro said._

_“Or worse.” Keith shook his head. “Trust me, I’ve been in the system since I was four.”_

_Shiro’s heart broke a little once again. “All right.” Shiro said. “The other option is trickier, but with some connections of mine and a lot of luck, we might be able to pull it off. I can call some buddies of mine at the Garrison. If I pull in a few favors, I can get them to give you a test when your leg heals up. If you pass, you could earn a scholarship to the pilot’s training program.”_

_Keith blinked at him in shock. “You’re not serious.” Keith said. “You’re SERIOUS? But I can’t—“_

_“I saw you race out there. You’re damn talented, but that’s not going to be enough. If you want to fly for the Garrison, you’re going to have to play by the rules. But they’ll teach you how to pilot safely, and they’ll give you food and a place to stay.”_

_“And I’ll get to go to space?” Keith asked, practically jumping out of his chair._

_Shiro couldn’t help but smirking at that. “And you would go to space.”_

_Keith nodded enthusiastically, and for the first time, Shiro saw him smile, “I’ll do it, I’ll do anything, Whatever it takes.”_

_Shiro smiled and nodded, taking out his phone to make the call._


	6. Chapter 6

Both pods blinked and opened at the same time. Shiro and Keith fell out of them, Keith into Hunk’s arms, Shiro into Pidge and Coran’s. 

Both of them looked around. Lance and Allura were nowhere in sight. The two of them looked at one another for just a brief moment, as it slowly processed that they were indeed, alive. “The base,” Keith muttered, his last memories coming back to him. 

“It’s destroyed,” Hunk said, “We got there just in time. No dark voltron’s today.” Keith couldn’t help but notice the note of bitterness in his voice.

“Our lions?” Shiro asked.

“Safe and being repaired in their hangars.” Coran said. Pidge’s lips were pursed so tight they were a thin line. “It was you two we were worried about.”

“But you’re safe now,” Pidge said. “So, now I can ask what I’ve been thinking for days.” Pidge pulled Shiro’s collar so he was at her eye-level. “What the HELL is wrong with you?!”

“Pidge!” Coran exclaimed, trying to peel her fingers off Shiro’s shirt, “That’s no way to handle—“

He was interrupted as Hunk grabbed Keith by the collar as well, but instead of pulling him down, he pushed Keith up against the now-closed med pod. Keith had never seen him look so…scary. “You promised. When you started dating Lance you PROMISED me you wouldn’t hurt him.”

“Hunk!” Coran shouted, after finally pulling Pidge off of Shiro. “Let him down!”

“Is THIS what you call not hurting him?” Hunk demanded, “Getting yourself killed? Leaving him—all of us—your friends behind?”

Keith stared at him blankly. He muttered something quietly. “What was that?” Hunk demanded.

“Yes,” Keith said, slightly louder, “I didn’t want to…I couldn’t hurt him anymore…so I left.”

Shocked, Hunk let go of Keith’s collar, his hands shaking. Keith stayed leaning against the pod. He felt numb inside.

Pidge looked up at Shiro, no longer angry, but concerned that Shiro might echo these sentiments. Shiro hung his head in shame and emptiness. “Shiro…” She said softly.

“Pidge, Hunk,” Coran said, “Back to your bunks. I’ll be talking with each of you shortly. For now I need to talk with these two.” 

Hunk and Pidge slinked away, leaving Coran with two pilots who had just won the greatest victory for Voltron yet, but felt like they had failed it’s worst defeat. “Follow me,” Coran said. 

Slowly, Shiro followed the Altean as he made his way to a couch. Keith followed not far behind. Coran motioned for them both to sit. He then pulled up a chair across from them. “If this was 1,000 years ago,” He said, “And you two were Altean Paladins, I’d have you sent to professionals who could help you out. Unfortunately all the professionals are gone, and you’re left with me.” 

Neither of them met Coran’s gaze. Shiro bit his lip and willed himself to speak. “Where’s Allura?” He said, just above a whisper.

“I had Allura and Lance stay in their rooms for now.” Coran said, “They were understandably very upset.” Keith flinched, burying his head in his hands as he imagined Lance crying over him. “Keith,” Coran said, “I already know about your predicament, if you want to talk with me.”

Keith’s head shot up. “You—you know? What do you mean—how could you KNOW?” 

Coran looked over to Shiro for a moment, “I would be willing to speak with you alone about it, but I don’t want to leave either of you by yourself right now.” 

“How could you KNOW?” Keith demanded. 

Coran sighed. “Lance told me. It’s why the medical pods didn’t work back when we took you to L’Kana. When we realized where you’d gone, Lance had me re-program the pod so it could recognize and heal Galra anatomy.” 

Keith flinched at the word Galra. “How…how did Lance know?”

Coran shrugged, “For that, you’ll have to ask Lance.”

“Galra?” Shiro asked, looking between Keith and Coran, “What…what do you mean, Galra?”

Keith turned away, unable to look at Shiro’s look of shock. It was happening, just like he knew it would. “H-Half Galra.” He muttered into the couch cushion, “I didn’t—Shiro I swear I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have—I couldn’t have.” Keith sniffed, wiping his eyes, “I just, I knew—I didn’t want you to see—to see your captors every time you looked at me.”

Shiro processed the information. He looked down at Keith, the friend he had known for years, now crumpled up and crying beside him. He remembered when he had first met him, looking down at the unconscious boy who nearly died.

He had come closer to death today than he had back then. And it was Shiro’s fault. “Keith,” He said, his voice wavering, “I don’t…I don’t see that. You’re my friend.” Keith looked up at him, eyes red and puffy. “I should have been there for you…to help you with this. But I—“

“No, no.” Coran said, shutting him up, “No, no, no, no. There will be no self-blaming here, we’ve had enough of that, that’s what got us here.” Shiro hung his head once again, but Coran scooted forward and patted Shrio on the leg. “We’ll get to you in just a minute.

“Now Keith,” Coran turned his bushy moustache on Keith. “Being Galra is not a crime. You have had no part in this war, you do not work under Zarkon, and you have many friends who love and care for you, no matter what species you are.” He sighed, “I certainly care for you. As does Lance, as does Shiro. We, of course, will keep your privacy if you wish, but I’m sure Allura, Hunk, and Pidge would agree.”

Keith didn’t seem to have anything to say about that, so he sat back in silence. Coran turned back to Shiro. “Now, Shiro. The med pods tell me you ARE human. So, I have to ask—“

“Why I went on a suicidal mission?” Shiro said. He swallowed spit in his mouth. He looked over at Keith, who was watching him. “Coran’s right, you didn’t work under Zarkon.” Shiro closed his eyes, “But I did.”

He paused, waiting for the others to say something. When they didn’t, he continued, “The memories are starting to come back. Not all of them…but enough. Champion…” The word hurt to hear, and hurt more to say, “Champion of the all mighty Galra Empire. Champion of their fighting pits.”

“Shiro,” Keith said quietly, “You…you were a prisoner. You didn’t have a choice…”

Shiro shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. I fought in their name, against other helpless prisoners. And I was good at it.” He scrunched his face up, trying to block out the images of his opponents, tears welling up in his eyes, “And I liked it.”

He buried his face in his hands as Keith had done a moment ago. He stopped crying as he felt a pair of arms surround him. He looked up and found Coran giving him a hug. Another moment, and he felt Keith hugging him too. 

“Maybe you did those things,” Coran said, “And maybe there’s some context your hole-y memory has left out. But either way, you can’t make it up by dying, not even in some martyr-like way.”

Shiro was too surprised by Coran hugging him to respond. He silently patted Coran on the back, looking over his shoulder. At the edge of the wall, he saw four little mice crawl down the hallway. He gave a small smile neither of his friends could see. He lightly pushed Coran away, and stood up. Keith held onto him for just a moment longer, and then Shiro put a hand on his head. “You’re absolutely right, Coran.” He said, “But, if you don’t mind, there’s someone I need to talk to.”

Keith stood up as well, starting to head for the door. “Wait!” Coran said, stopping them. “I won’t hold you for long, but I have a couple of things to go over with you.” They gave him their attention. “I want to stress that you’re not being punished. But for now, I am…well I am worried for you. So, unless there’s an emergency, or I give the go-ahead, your lions will be in lockdown. They need to be repaired anyway.”

They both flinched. Neither enjoyed being separated from their lions, but they both nodded. “Further,” Coran said, “You will not have access to the pods unless I give the go-ahead. You won’t have any duties for the next couple of days, but rest assured, you won’t be too bored. I want to arrange meetings with each of you once a day, so you can talk to me. Do you understand?” 

Keith and Shiro nodded. Coran sighed, then put his hands behind his back. “In that case, you may go.”


	7. Chapter 7

Shiro had lost sight of the mice, but it didn’t matter. He knew where they were going. Taking a deep breath and feeling like his legs were going to fall out from under him, he knocked at the door. “Come in,” He heard from within.

Shiro walked in, and saw Allura sitting on a cushion, her mice in her hands. She looked up at him, her lip quivering. “I take it they told you.”

Allura nodded, then put her mice on the floor and walked up to him. She swallowed, unsure of what to say. Finally, she came up with, “Would you like a seat?”

Shiro nodded and they both awkwardly sat down, still not making eye contact.

“Shiro—“

“Allura—“

They spoke at the same time. After a moment, they laughed. “Shiro,” Allura said, “I wanted you to know, that…well, I mean to say…I don’t hold you accountable. Anything you did…”

“I…know.” Shiro cut her off. “I mean, logically, I know, in my brain, that I was imprisoned and did what I had to in order to survive.” He rubbed his hands together. “I just…I don’t feel like it.”

Allura put a comforting hand on his arm. “I know,” She said, “But…I’m asking, as a favor…” Shiro looked up at her. “Please stay with me.”

Shrio looked between her eyes, her big beautiful eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.” Allura inched closer, “But Allura…I know…I know you think I’m…this incredible brave, smart…I forget the words you used.”

“You were listening to me and Lance?” She asked softly.

He nodded, “Sorry,” He swallowed but forced himself to look up at her, “But if that’s the person you’ve…you’ve come to care for, then…that’s not me.”

She reached up and held his shoulders, “You are all those things,” He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued, “But that’s not all you are.” She smiled at him, and Shiro thought it might have been the most beautiful thing he’d seen. “And I have come to care for all of you.”

He plucked one of her hands off of his shoulder, instead gently placing it on his cheek. “I have come to care for you too, Princess,”

She pulled him closer to her, “Allura,” She corrected.

“Allura,” He repeated, and she kissed him. 

 

Keith wasn’t sure how long he stood outside Lance’s door. He must have come here a million times. But now he stood here in cowardice, one thought echoing in his mind. He knew.

He couldn’t figure out how Lance had found out. When had he found out? Was he as disgusted as Keith had thought? There was only one way to find out. Closing his eyes, he knocked on the door. 

Half a tick later, and the door opened, revealing Lance in his pajamas, eyes red and watery. Before Keith could say anything, Lance pulled him into a deep hug, squeezing him like he might slip away. “You’re alive,” Lance muttered into Keith’s neck, “You’re okay…”

Well, okay might be a stretch, Keith thought, but he smiled and held onto Lance. “I’m alive,” He said into Lance’s shoulder. 

Sniffling, Lance pulled him into his room and shut the door behind them. He pulled Keith onto his bed, still holding him in his arms, “I’m sorry,” He said, “I’m so, so sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Keith said, “What do you have to be sorry for?”

Lance sniffled. “I lied to you.” He took a shaky breath, “I knew. Ever since L’Kana I knew.” Keith blinked at him blankly, “The—the doctors didn’t know that YOU didn’t know, and they made some comment about it when they were updating me on your condition. And I just…I thought you would tell me, and I wanted you to let me know in your own time, but you kept not saying anything, and by that point I didn’t know how to tell you, and I just—“

Keith started laughing. Lance blinked at him. His blinking turned into frowning as Keith kept laughing. “What—“ Lance asked, “What’s happening?” 

Keith tried to contain his laughter. He shook his head, trying to reassure him. “We spent,” He kept laughing, “We spent so long arguing and yelling at each other over every little thing, and now,” He snorted, “After I’ve lied and run off and…and everything,” He gave another giggle, “you’re here babbling apologies to ME!” 

Lance smiled, slowly starting to laugh as well as he saw Keith was okay. Before long, they were both laughing, holding each other. Lance apparently couldn’t contain himself any longer, and pulled Keith in for a kiss. 

Keith’s laughing stopped and he held the kiss for as long as Lance was willing to give it. Finally, Lance leaned his forehead against Keith’s smiling. Keith smiled back, “I missed seeing you smile,” Keith muttered. 

Lance’s smile grew, “I’ll smile every day if it makes you happy.” 

Keith shook his head slightly, “You don’t have to—“ He gave another laugh, “Lance, this…all of this…none of it is your fault.” He kissed him again, “None of it.”

Lance held Keith’s hand. “Still.” He said.

“I was sure,” Keith said, “I was so sure you would hate me.”

Lance sputtered a little laugh, “Keith, we’ve been rivals since the day we met. You’re going to have to try harder than being an alien to get rid of me.” 

At that moment, Keith started crying again. Lance pulled him in for a tight hug, “I’m sorry,” Keith said clutching him, “I’m so sorry.”

“Shh, it’s okay,” He rubbed Keith’s back and kissed his head, “It’s okay, it’s okay. I love you.” He held Keith as tight as he could, swallowing his own tears. “I love you, it’s okay.” 

Before long Lance got Keith into pajamas that were more comfortable, and the two of them lay comfortably on Lance’s bed, Lance pulling him in close. “So, I’ve been wondering,” Lance said, “Does this mean I’m the first of us paladins to bang an alien?”

Keith froze. Groaning, he tried to get up out of the bed so he could leave, but Lance, laughing, pulled him back in.


	8. Epilogue

“I’m not ready for this,” Keith said, and Lance grabbed his hand.

“Do you want to go back?”

Keith sighed. He shook his head. “Hunk nearly threw me through a wall when he thought I hurt you.”

Lance rolled his eyes, “Hunk is my best friend. And he’s weirdly protective of me. Granted, I make a lot of bad decisions, but,” He leaned down and kissed Keith’s head, “I get to pick who I fall in love with. No one else gets to say what’s better or worse for me.” He smiled, “Not even you.”

Keith smiled. He nodded, taking a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” 

Hands entwined, they entered the dining room. Everyone turned to them, and smiled. Shiro motioned to a pair of seats beside them, which they happily took. Shiro and Keith shared a smile just with each other. 

Hunk and Pidge exchanged nervous glances. “We were just saying,” Hunk said, clearing his throat, “We were just telling Shiro…we’re sorry about the other day.”

“Really sorry,” Pidge added, “We were just—“

Keith waved his hand, “It’s all right,” he said. “I understand.” Hunk got up and served them a plate of what seemed to be a green omelette. Lance nodded in thanks and immediately dug in. Keith, on the other hand stared at his plate for a moment, dredging up courage. “There’s…there’s actually something I want to tell everyone,” He said. Taking a deep breath and not looking anyone in the eye, he said, “I’m half Galran.” 

The table was silent. He dared himself to take a peek. Coran gave him a proud nod, while Lance was staring down Hunk and Pidge, silently daring them to say anything bad. The two of them didn’t notice as they and Allura were blinking in surprise. Allura was the first who regained her senses, and spoke, “Thank you for telling us, Keith,” She said. Pidge and Hunk nodded in agreement. Keith nodded back, and the pressure slowly vanished. 

There was only one person left to look to. He turned up to Shiro, who smirked and patted him on the back. Keith smiled and nodded back. 

Behind them, neither of them noticed Lance and Allura exchanging a look. They shrugged at the same time, knowing that their love’s could be impossible sometimes, but loving them anyway, they took their hands and held them tight.


End file.
